Caldwell is located in the southwestern part of the state of Idaho and a city and seat of Canyon County along the Boise River. The area where the present-day Caldwell stood originated as a camp in 1883 for the Oregon Short Line Railroad and was named after the railroad president, Alexander Caldwell. Lake Lowell, or formerly known as the Deer Flat Reservoir which is a unit in the Boise Irrigation Project in the southern part of the region. The area developed its economy as a shipping and processing point for diversified farm products. However, there were other industries that were acquired in some sectors, and most notably, the manufacture of mobile homes. It also developed a commercial printing book-production center since the 1930s.